Not One of Those Friday Nights
by Vanilla Coated Love
Summary: Two strangers decided to ditch a college party to have an adventure of their own. Names were not given, but memories were made. "How am I supposed to be sure that you won't do anything stupid?" she asked. "Well then," he answered, goofy smile present. "It's a risk that you have to take. What do you say?"
1. Chapter 1

**Not One of Those Friday Nights  
**by:_ Vanilla Coated Love_

_Two strangers decided to ditch a lame college party to have an adventure of their own. Names were not given, but memories were made. "How am I supposed to be sure that you won't do anything stupid?" she asked. "Well then," he answered, goofy smile present. "It's just a risk that you have to take. What do you say?"  
_  
**Disclaimer**: Gakuen Alice is not mine, but the plot is.

**Dedication**: This fic is dedicated to _Black Maya_, _The Tortured Poet_, _Scherzkeks, _and_ Kidtantei. _Thank you for welcoming me aboard the SumireKoko ship. :)

* * *

"Sometimes a stranger can bring great meaning to your life."

**Chapter 1: Easy Target**

**10:02 PM **

Before Sumire met the guy who asked her what was up and took the seat across from hers, she knew exactly how this night would eventually end; it'll be just one of those nights again. She wasn't sure how she got there, it all happened so fast, but rest assured her two roommates were responsible for this…

**5:56 PM**

Sumire just got back that lazy afternoon to their dorm, all tuckered out. She had two exams today and her professor gave back their project paper in Philosophy. _Ugh, Philosophy_. Let's just say that all Sumire wanted to do was to eat a gallon of ice cream for the rest of the evening while watching her favorite movie and sleep all through the weekend. Oh, thank God it was Friday.

Before she entered their dorm room, Sumire already heard raised voices, or maybe just one raised voice the other one was toned down. It was obvious to differentiate one from the other. Sumire sighed as turned the knob and pushed the door open.

There she found Mikan in the living room holding up two outfits. "Hurry, Hotaru! Help me choose!"

"Go away, I'm watching TV," Hotaru, who was seated at the sofa, said.

"I think this is much more important than watching _National Geographic_!"

"I would disagree."

"Just pick one."

"Okay."

Mikan's face lit up.

"Neither."

"_Hotaru!_"

Sumire rolled her eyes, this was normal for her, but it never gets old. She still found it quite entertaining.

Putting that aside, if Mikan couldn't decide what to wear it only meant one thing…

Sumire faked a cough to catch her friends' attentions. "You're going on a date with Natsume, aren't you?" she asked as she dropped her bag to the floor and made her way to the sofa, which was a challenge seeing there were clothes scattered everywhere, and sat beside Hotaru.

Sheer joy was there in Mikan's voice. "You're here! Finally! Someone who cares about fashion!" As if completely forgetting her dark haired best friend, Mikan switched her attention to Sumire. "Which will match that top?" she pointed using her lips to the blue tank top that was hanging on the door handle of her bedroom behind me. "Skirt or jeans?"

"Jeans." Sumire answered without a moments notice. "And shouldn't you be wearing a dress or something that is… less revealing?" Sumire asked pertaining to the skirt.

"What? Why in heaven's name will I do that?"

"Can't you talk someplace else? I'm watching," Hotaru said blatantly, her eyes fixed on the screen.

Mikan and Sumire shared a look. The brunette made a face at Hotaru's direction and lead the way towards her room, Sumire a few steps behind.

If the living room was a mess then Mikan's bedroom was a mess raised to the infinite power. Shoes, make-up, clothes, jewelry. It was a mall gone wrong. Sumire closed the door and leaned her back against the wall, there was no room for her to walk. Mikan on the other hand found a way to her closet, looking for more clothes.

Sumire decided to ask where they left off. "Hold on. You're not going on a fancy dinner with your boyfriend?"

"Who said anything about fancy dinners?"

"I asked you just after I came in if you were going on a date with Natsume and you didn't answer which meant yes. Silence means yes, you know. And when hasn't he taken you to those five star restaurants? That Hyuuga of yours is rich."

"I didn't hear you at the time. Blame that to the blasted show Hotaru's watching. But I'm not going on a date with Natsume tonight."

"So what are you slutting up for?" the moment Sumire asked this, the answer was clear. "A party. You're going to a party."

"_And Bingo was name-o_." Mikan sang the old nursery rhyme, grinning like a fool. They weren't even at the part and her friend was already acting drunk. "And it's not called slutting up! It's called wearing what you _normally_ wear to parties. Plus, you and Hotaru are coming with! Now hurry and help me so that we could pick an outfit for you!"

"Mikan, I'm deadbeat. I just want a quiet evening. You two have fun without me. I'll be in my room." Sumire turned to leave.

"No way! This was planned a week ago. You can't change your mind now. It'll be fun! It's just an acquaintance party for the freshmen."

"An acquaintance party for the freshmen?" Sumire asked not sure if she heard her friend right. "Two things, Mikan. One," Sumire made a number one with her finger, "it's the_ middle_ of the school year. And two," she raised another finger, "we're not freshmen anymore!"

"Everyone's invited."Mikan reasoned. "You agreed when I asked last week."

"That was last week. I changed my mind. I had one hell of a week. I'm not in the mood to dance or drink."

"Great then." Mikan had a smug look on her face. "You don't have to. It's your turn to drive anyway."

* * *

**9:46 PM**

Hours later Sumire was sitting all alone at the club outside of their university where the party was being held. There were more people than she expected, the dance floor was packed, a song which was practically just bass was playing, some people were jumping and throwing their fists up high to the beat, the smell of beer, sweat, and cigarette smoke were lingering in the air.

She scanned the crowd, trying to look for Hotaru but couldn't find her. She was dragged half an hour ago by some of her classmates to watch guys play beer pong. Sumire wouldn't be shocked if she found Hotaru ending up playing the game. Mikan left for the comfort room just a few minutes ago. That girl had a bladder of a kitten.

Sumire had been quiet the entire night, she was a bit pissed at Mikan for forcing her to attend but they had an agreement. Still though, she just wanted to stay at their dorm and go lazy around.

"You sure you don't want anything?" a waitress who was headed back to the bar asked, she was practically shouting through the music. Sumire noticed that her tray was full and she wondered how the waitress could balance all those empty bottles and glasses in one hand.

"I'm good," Sumire shouted back, not sure if the waitress could hear her. She raised her car keys, "I'm the driver for tonight."

"Alright then, just call me if you need anything."

Sumire made a mental note to ask for her name, she had to stop referring to her as 'the waitress'. Having nothing to do, she started to throw her keys from one hand to the other, to keep her entertained.

"Hey, what's up?"

She looked up and saw a guy standing casually at the other end of the table. Sumire narrowed her eyes at him; if today wasn't today she would have been thrilled that someone walked up to her and tried to strike a conversation. Sadly, today _was _today.

"Go away."

He raised an eyebrow. "I, uh-"

Where the hell was Mikan?

Sumire was glaring at him at this point, "I said _leave_."

The guy ran his hand through his hair, he was about to turn to leave but at the last second he placed both his hands on the table. "Okay, listen. Here's the deal. My friends told me that I couldn't score a girl tonight, I told them I could. We made a bet. So could you please please _please _at least try to pretend?"

That caught her off guard. Now _this_ was interesting.

She was silent for a while but found her voice seconds later. "A bet?"

The guy nodded.

"Your friends are assholes."

"Yeah, they're sons of bitches," he agreed.

He cracked a smile.

Sumire found herself doing the same.

"Why me then?"

He took the seat across hers. "Er, you're an easy target. Just sitting here, all alone. You stand out, really."

Sumire took that into account. "Yeah, I'd rather be someplace else than here."

There was a moment of silence before he said, "hey, why don't we ditch this place?"

"Sorry?"

He leaned closer to her. "You get to leave and I get to win the bet. It's a win-win."

"How am I supposed to be sure that you won't do anything stupid?" she asked.

"Well then," he answered, goofy smile present. "It's just a risk that you have to take. What do you say?"

Sumire gave no reply. She was not walking out of this party with a complete stranger. She knew better than that.

"All right. How about this, I'll give you my school ID."

"How will that solve anything?"

"Because I won't be able to attend my thesis defense on Monday without it? If I do anything stupid, I'm giving you the right throw it away or whatever."

"It's easy to get a new I.D." Sumire reasoned.

"Yeah, but you have to pay 700 rabbits for it. Do I look like the kind of guy who will pay that much just for a stupid card with my picture in it? Plus, I'm graduating in a couple of months. New I.D.? No thanks."

The two teenagers had a staring contest that lasted for God knows how long. In the end Sumire gave up. "Fine. Give it."

"Great!" This guy was starting to act like Mikan. "You have to give me your I.D too."

"_What_? That's not part of the deal!"

"It's only fair. How am I supposed to know that you won't end up raping me?"

Sumire's jaw fell. "Rape you... you're crazy."

"Then I'll leave you to your misery then." He got up from his chair.

Damn it. Sumire was desperate. She wanted out of here.

"Wait!"

"Yeees?"

He was starting to get on her nerves. "Fine. I'll give you my I.D. But no funny business, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And I get 50 percent of your winnings."

His eyes widened. "No. No way, missy."

"It's only fair," Sumire mimicked the tone he used.

"You're evil," he concluded.

"I get that a lot. So? Do we have a deal?" Sumire held out her hand for him to shake.

...

...

...

He heaved a sigh and shook Sumire's hand. "Deal."

* * *

**Author's Notes**:

This will be a threeshot. I'll_ try_ to finish this in less than a month, no promises. And again, I'm sorry for any typos and grammatical errors.

Care to leave a review? :)

-_Vanilla Coated Love (11/20/12 1:31 AM)_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note**: Many thanks to Maria_,_ I've been procrastinating for months but she gave me the push that I needed to update this chapter. Xoxo

**Beta read by**: (my awesome wifey)_ homestuckisme_

* * *

___If you never talk to strangers, you'll never meet anyone new.  
-Never Talk To Strangers (1995)_

**Chapter 2: Late Night Adventure**

**9:14 pm**

Before Koko met the girl with the pretty green eyes, he knew exactly how this night would end, or maybe how he hoped it would eventually end. He wanted this night not to be like any other Friday night. 'Friday night' for him meant playing computer games with Mochu, or the two of them pulling pranks on Ruka.

This week had been nothing but awesome, and next week would be everything but awesome…so how would he spend this Friday night?

**7:55 pm**

"A _party_? You want to attend a _freshman_ party?" Mochu asked in disbelief the moment Koko told his friend his plan.

Koko raised his shoulders casually. "Cool, right?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Mochu looked at Koko as if he had just spoken a foreign language.

"Who's out of his mind?" Ruka pitched in. He was in the middle of brushing his teeth as he entered the living room. He had obviously just finished a shower; drops of water were still falling from his hair and a towel was secured around his waist.

Strangely, this sort of confrontation was a typical scene in a boy's dormitory.

"Koko," Mochu answered.

"That's a surprise," came Ruka's sarcastic response.

Mochu ignored his remark. "Ruka, Koko here wants to attend that annual freshman midsemester party. You want to know his reason? It's-"

"It's a reasonable reason."

"-because he wasn't able to attend during his first year."

"Like I said, I'm making up for lost time."

"Man, you're graduating next semester."

Koko spread his arms out wide in exasperation "Exactly my point! Making. Up. For. Lost. Time."

The two friends continued on with their argument, not even knowing that Ruka had left the room to finish brushing his teeth. He returned minutes later, fully clothed in jeans and a plain black shirt.

"You guys still aren't finished with your debate?" Ruka asked, unsurprised.

They turned their attentions to Ruka.

"Where're you going?" Mochu asked, not answering Ruka's question. It was unusual for Ruka to go out on Fridays.

"To the freshman party," he answered nonchalantly.

Koko raised both of his hands in joy. "YES! YES! YES! Ruka loves me!"

"No shit?" Mochu asked, raising his voice in order to outvoice Koko.

"Shit," Ruka answered. "Apparently, Natsume's girlfriend wants to go." He sighed. "You know how protective he can be."

Natsume's girlfriend.

…

…

…

The three had known Natsume since middle school (Koko had lived outside of the province in their elemantary years). They had all gone to the same high school and taken all the same classes, and now they were in the same university. During all that time, Natsume Hyuuga had never gone out with a girl.

So when they had found out about a month and a half ago Natsume had finally gotten a girlfirned…well Mochu's first reaction was, "Ha. You. And a girlfriend. _Riiight_."

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "The hint of sarcasm in your voice tells me you think I'm lying."

"That's because you are."

"You asked me why I haven't been hanging out with you guys lately. I just answered your question."

"You answered with a lie."

Whilst this conversation was going on, Koko had been busy ransacking the contents of Natsume's fridge. They, Mochu and Koko, had barged in on their friend's dorm room to ask if he was up for some food tripping in Central Town that night.

"A date," Mochu repeated.

Natsume grunted. "Study date," he corrected.

"With a girl."

The raven-haired boy nodded.

"Girlfriend?"

It took Natsume a couple of seconds before saying, "I don't know."

Mochu eyed him carefully. "What's her name?"

"Mikan."

"Full name, Natsume."

He rolled his eyes, "Mikan Sakura."

"What's the color of her eyes?"

"Brown."

"Hair."

"Brown. Like her eyes."

Impressive.

"How'd you meet?"

"What the fu-"

"Answer."

"I'm not making her up."

"Answer."

"In Sociology. There was a report that had to be done in twos. We were seatmates so...satisfied?"

"Not quite."

"You're an ass," Natsume hissed.

"What attracted you to her?"

Natsume grabbed his backpack and headed for the door. "I'm out of here."

Mochu sighed. "Whatever. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt right now. We're going to have to see her in person before we believe you! No pictures!"

Before Natsume closed the door, he smirked.

...

Koko and Mochu shared a look moments after Ruka announced that Natsume girlfriend was going to be at the party.

"We're coming with you!"

There was no way in hell that they were going to pass from this rare opportunity.

**9:26 pm**

_Sigh._

Mochu was right. The party was lame. Koko wouldn't admit it, though, because one, Mochu was rarely right, and two, man pride. Obviously. So Koko tried acting like he was having the time of his life for the next couple of minutes.

Koko, however, was not a very good actor.

"Dude, stop acting like a lunatic. We all know this party sucks."

Koko pretended not to have heard his friend's remark and continued to look around the place. The whole thing wasn't a complete and utter failure. It was just…well, a freshman party. What do you expect?

What about Natsume's so-called girlfriend? Funny story. They weren't allowed to meet her.

Reason?

Well, let's have a rewind to some twenty minutes or so, just outside the club.

**9:02 pm**

"What do you mean we can't meet her?!"

Natsume rolled his eyes. He wasn't a tiny bit worried somebody might have been eavesdropping on their conversation. The music from inside was so loud even people outside had to shout to be heard.

"She doesn't know I'm here," he answered casually.

"Ruka said she invited you to go with her!"

Ruka. Natsume gave his best friend a glare that said, 'Why did you bring them with you?'

The blonde hiding behind Koko and Mochu smiled awkwardly and held up two fingers, making a peace sign.

Natsume made a mental note for revenge.

"I turned her down," Natsume finally answered. "I'm not going to blatantly attend a party for first years. She's not even a first year."

Koko raised an eyebrow. "Then why _are_ you here then?" Realization soon hit him. "You're stalking your girlfriend."

"I am not stalking Mikan."

"And fish can't swim."

Mochu and Ruka bursted out laughing. It was very out of character for Natsume to get so worked up and worred. But here he was. At a party he said he wouldn't be attending just to keep an eye on his girlfriend. Or an eye on other guys eyeing his girlfriend.

"Shut it, Koko. That's why we're going to keep our distance from her and her friends."

"_We_? No, no, no," Koko interrupted. "_You_ have to keep your distance. She doesn't know who we are."

"He has a point. You haven't introduced Mikan to us," Ruka said.

Natsume jaw was firm as he glared at his three friends. "You go near her tonight and I'll ask Imai to blackmail you."

At the mention of 'Imai', Koko and Mochu took a step back. Ruka, on the other hand, turned bright red.

Hotaru Imai was a junior, a year younger than them. She was known all over Alice University for her brains and beauty. And...for her unbeatable blackmailing techniques.

"As if you know Hotaru Imai," Mochu pished.

Ruka, whose face was still flushed, asked, "You know Hotaru?"

"I do." Natsume smirked, his voice never wavering. "She is Mikan's best friend and roommate, after all."

**9:38 pm**

So instead of searching for Natsume's girlfriend, Koko was stuck with Mochu's bickering. Natsume had went off to look for his mysterious girlfriend by himself and Ruka had gone over to the beer pong tables.

"Can't believe Ruka's crushing on Hotaru Imai."

Koko grinned. "He's always into girls completely opposite of himself."

"I know...but Hotaru Imai? She's like, the daughter of Hades!"

"Calm your tits, bro. Let the guy be."

Mochu crossed his arms and sighed. "Whatever. This sucks."

For the first time, Koko agreed. "Tell me about it."

"Bet I can't even score a girl tonight."

"Huh. Yeah."

Silence.

5

4

3

2

1

Mochu clicked his tongue. "Stroke of genius. Bet _you_ can't score a girl tonight."

Koko knew that tone. "No."

"C'mon! You haven't heard the whole thing yet!"

Every once in a while Mochu would get his stroke of genius ideas. Sorry to spoil, but they weren't genius. They were far from it.

"No."

"500 rabbits."

"No."

"550 rabbits."

"Dude. We're not betting on a girl. Remember what happened to Kitsu last time? Anna almost killed him!"

Kitsuneme was Koko's childhood friend and partner in crime. He wasn't a student of Alice University; he attended some academy outside of the province. He oftend dropped by to visit Koko whenever he was in Tokyo, though, which was why Kitsu was also good friends with Mochu, Natsume, and Ruka.

"But they're a happy couple now," Mochu retorted. "600 rabbits, that's my final offer," he added.

"Again," Koko corrected, ignoring the latter part of his friend's statement. "After Anna broke up with Kitsu, he had to-"

"Meh." Mochu waved him off.

The whole Kitsuneme and Anna Broke Up Because of Mochu Story was a life lesson Mochu chose to ignore even at the best of times.

"We are not betting on a girl. That's final."

"Fine," Mochu replied, pouting like spoiled kid.

Koko pulled himself out of his chair. "I'm gonna go get a beer."

**9:44 pm**

It was official. The party was by far the lamest college party Koko had ever attended. He couldn't believe he was the one who wanted to come here in the first place. He shoved his hands inside his jean pockets and grunted.

No beer made Koko a mad boy.

Actually, there was beer. He just had to pay.

Koko bit the inside of his cheek in irritation. It was a party! Parties were supposed to have free flowing drinks! What kind of establishment ordered him to _pay_ for a party drink?

If he was the president of the world, free beers would be his first proclamation.

He smirked. People would so vote for him.

"You sure you don't want anything?"

He paused. Strangely enough, he had heard that question clearly admist the loud music.

"I'm good," a tired voice replied. "I'm the driver for tonight."

It was a good thing Koko was good at controlling his temper. As childish as it may be, nobody had asked him if he had wanted anything when he was at the bar. The only conversation he had had with the drink handle had went like this:

**Koko**: One beer

**Drink Guy With A Star Tattoo Under His Left Eye**: 50 rabbits.

**Koko**: WHAT?

**DGWASTUHLE**: One beer equals 50 rabbits.

**Koko**: You have got to be kidding me!

**DGWASTUHLE**: Sucks, I know. Hey, why don't you run for president of the world and make beer free, eh?

...

Koko turned toward the voices and saw a waitress balancing a tray full of empty glasses and bottles (bottles of beer, Koko resentfully noticed), whose pink hair was stacked on top of her head in a messy bun, and a girl who looked as if she had just gotten out of bed.

"Alright then. Just call me if you need anything," the waitress said, and left.

He was about to go find Mochu and drag him home before he could start anymore bets when the girl (the one who had been talking to the waitress) gazed lazily in his direction. Only for a second. She was obviously looking for someone in the crowd. But that one second was enough. One second was all it took.

She had pretty green eyes.

Without a second thought, he walked towards her.

**10: 32 pm**

The whole ride back to the university was awfully quiet. And awkward. Koko eyed the girl riding shotgun. She had dark green hair, long eyelashes, a pointed nose, and pursed lips. She hadn't opened her mouth to talk since she got in Koko's car, which left him curious. She had been quite a talker back at the party.

"What's wrong?" he dared to ask. A quiet girl was a dangerous one.

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't tell a person I just met my problems."

"Hey, it's better than no one, right? Talking to a stranger has some good points." Koko could feel the weight of the girl's student I.D. in his left jeans pocket. They had made the deal only an hour ago, but God he was itching to know her name.

"Like what?"

Koko whistled. "I don't know anything about you, which means I am in no position to judge you. Plus, who knows when we'll see each other again?"

She stayed silent.

Koko wasn't an expert in dealing with girls, but he was aware of the boundary between being curious and being unnecessarily intrusive. "What about this? From a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, how serious is your problem?"

She made no move to answer.

Koko sighed. At least he had tried.

"Eight. Maybe seven. I don't know. God, it's complicated."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Eyes on the road, stranger," she said.

Ah. Right. Driving.

"Boy trouble?"

She made a face. "Do I even have a boy?" She laughed. "Just life trouble."

She was joking now, but Koko couldn't shake the memory of her troubled face from a while ago.

"Put you hand over your left chest."

"What?"

He gave her a smile. "Just do it."

"Stop quoting Nike." She rolled her eyes but obliged. "Now what?"

"What do you feel?" Koko asked as he took a right turn to the gates of the university. Huh. That was fast.

"My heartbeat," she answered calmly. Of course she wouldn't say how fast it was beating.

"Heartbeats," he corrected. "And they're not just that. Every single time your heart beats, there's a reason, a purpose, and a chance. Some people realize that when it's too late. So whatever your problem is, don't be like them, and don't forget." He pointed to his own chest. "Heartbeats."

She stared at him, her green eyes bright and wide, and blinked. "Wow. I...thank you."

He beamed at her. "Now, let's go cheer you up!"

"What? That was not part of the plan."

"Yeah but-"

"Dude. Not cool. You can drop me off here."

"Just a little late night adventure."

She gave him a look.

Koko hurriedly tried to clear the little misunderstanding. "No! Not that kind of late night adventure. I promised, right? No funny business. Let's just take a trip around Central Town. We won't even leave campus." He had no idea why he was even going so far to cheer her up. She was probably going to decline. Sheesh, she had very right to. They didn't even know each other's names!

But part of him just wanted to see her smile. A genuine one, no matter how small.

He parked the car and looked at her. God. Was it possible for eyes to shine? Hers did.

After for what seemed like forever, she finally said, "Okay."

He sat up straight. "Really?"

She avoided his gaze. "Yeah. But you do anything stupid, I'll-"

"Trust me, you can trust me." Koko grinned.

She nodded as they made their way to Central Town. Even so, unbeknowst to Koko, the girl felt for her pepper spray in her bag. One could never be too careful.

* * *

**Additional note**: The whole story turned out longer than I originally planned. It will no longer be a threeshot. Sorry, guys. Pretty sure it won't exceed five or six chapters (I hope) though.

Tell me what you think about the story so far? :)

-_Vanilla Coated Love (3/31/13)_


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